Johnny Doran
Encyclopedia
Johnny Doran was an Irish
uilleann piper.
, Co. Wicklow. His family were Travellers with a distinguished musical heritage; his father John Doran and brother Felix were also pipers, and his great-grandfather was the celebrated Wexford piper John Cash.
By his early twenties, Doran was working as an itinerant musician, traveling with his family from town to town in a horse-drawn caravan
and playing for money at fairs, races and sporting events. His playing is said to have inspired the young Willie Clancy
to take up piping as a career.
On January 30, 1948, Doran's caravan was parked on waste ground near Back Lane in Dublin's Cornmarket area. It was very windy, and a brick wall collapsed on the caravan, and also on Doran, who was outside lacing up his shoes. Doran was completely covered by bricks and rubble. His lower back was injured during the rescue process as, according to one of his daughters, he was pulled free from the debris. Johnny was afterwards paralyzed from the waist down. His injuries led to continuing ill health and he died on January 9, 1950 in Athy
, Co. Kildare. He is buried in Rathnew cemetery.
player John Kelly, a friend of Doran's, was concerned about the piper's health. He contacted Kevin Danaher
of the Irish Folklore Commission
, who arranged for a recording to be made on acetate disks
. Doran was reportedly pleased with the session, and a further one was planned, but due to the accident that paralysed him, never carried out.
ranked him alongside the fiddle
player Michael Coleman
as one of the greatest Irish traditional musicians ever recorded. His unusually rapid and fluent style influenced contemporary pipers such as Paddy Keenan
and Davy Spillane
.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
uilleann piper.
Life
Johnny Doran was born in 1907 in RathnewRathnew
Rathnew is a village of County Wicklow, Ireland. Located south of the capital Dublin along the N11 between Dublin and Wexford, it is the exit point for those wishing to visit the county town of Wicklow, situated to the East.-Education:...
, Co. Wicklow. His family were Travellers with a distinguished musical heritage; his father John Doran and brother Felix were also pipers, and his great-grandfather was the celebrated Wexford piper John Cash.
By his early twenties, Doran was working as an itinerant musician, traveling with his family from town to town in a horse-drawn caravan
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
and playing for money at fairs, races and sporting events. His playing is said to have inspired the young Willie Clancy
Willie Clancy
Willie Clancy was an Irish uilleann piper.Clancy was born into a musical family at Islandbawn near Miltown Malbay, County Clare. His parents both sang and played concertina, and his father also played the flute...
to take up piping as a career.
On January 30, 1948, Doran's caravan was parked on waste ground near Back Lane in Dublin's Cornmarket area. It was very windy, and a brick wall collapsed on the caravan, and also on Doran, who was outside lacing up his shoes. Doran was completely covered by bricks and rubble. His lower back was injured during the rescue process as, according to one of his daughters, he was pulled free from the debris. Johnny was afterwards paralyzed from the waist down. His injuries led to continuing ill health and he died on January 9, 1950 in Athy
Athy
The town developed from a 12th century Anglo-Norman settlement to an important British military outpost on the border of the Pale.The first town charter dates from the 16th century and the town hall was constructed in the early 18th century...
, Co. Kildare. He is buried in Rathnew cemetery.
Recordings
Only one recording of Johnny Doran's playing was ever made. In 1947 the fiddleFiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
player John Kelly, a friend of Doran's, was concerned about the piper's health. He contacted Kevin Danaher
Kevin Danaher
Kevin Danaher was a prominent Irish folklorist with a special interest in ethnography and military history....
of the Irish Folklore Commission
Irish Folklore Commission
The Irish Folklore Commission was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland....
, who arranged for a recording to be made on acetate disks
History of sound recording
Methods and media for sound recording are varied and have undergone significant changes between the first time sound was actually recorded for later playback until now.- Acoustical recording :...
. Doran was reportedly pleased with the session, and a further one was planned, but due to the accident that paralysed him, never carried out.
Style and Legacy
During his lifetime, Doran was one of the most admired traditional musicians in Ireland. On the basis of his recordings, the traditional music scholar Breandán BreathnachBreandán Breathnach
Breandán Breathnach was an Irish music collector and Uilleann piper.Breathnach worked as a civil servant with the Department of Education and was responsible for collecting music from around Ireland. By the time of his death he had collected over 7,000 tunes published from 1963...
ranked him alongside the fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
player Michael Coleman
Michael Coleman (musician)
-Early years:Michael Coleman was born in Knockgrania, in the rural Killavil district, near Ballymote, County Sligo, Ireland. His father, James Coleman, was from Banada in County Roscommon, and a respected flute player...
as one of the greatest Irish traditional musicians ever recorded. His unusually rapid and fluent style influenced contemporary pipers such as Paddy Keenan
Paddy Keenan
Paddy Keenan is an Irish player of the uilleann pipes who first gained fame as a founding member of The Bothy Band. Since that group's dissolution in the late 1970s, Keenan has released a number of solo and collaborative recordings, and continues to tour both as a soloist, and with...
and Davy Spillane
Davy Spillane
Davy Spillane is a songwriter and a player of uilleann pipes and low whistle.early yearsDavy was born in Dublin in 1959 . At the age of 12 he started playing the uilleann pipes. His father encouraged him and inspired him with his love of all music genres...
.